Shoe



' Jan. 8, I924.

: 1,480,234 B. G. WEDD Filed. March 14. 1922 IN V EN TOR.

da/m Q.

AM ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 8, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,4saz34 PATENT oF icE.

BENJAMIN G. WEDD, 0F MORTIMER, NEW,YORK.

SHOE.

. Application filed March 14,1922. Serial No. 543,710.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN Gr. WEDD, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Mortimer, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Shoes; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specificatlon.

My invention relates to shoes, and has for object to provide a shoe especially constructed to prevent and relieve the foot deformity known as bunion. A further object of my invention is to construct a shoe having a depression or resilient area immediately beneath the metatarsal joint of the great toe, permitting a flexure of the joint to prevent or overcome the inward fiexure of the toe causing a bunion.

More specifically, the object of my invention is to provide a shoe having a depression in the outer sole immediately beneath the metatarsal joint and a resilient inner sole adapted to be depressed into the depression of the outer sole.

My further object of the invention is to provide such a shoe in which the depression in the outer sole is filled with a resilient material, and the inner sole perforated immediately over the depression in the outer sole. To these and other ends my invention resides in certain improvements and arrange ments of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the outer sole of a shoe, illustrating the application of one form of my invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the inner sole of the shoe.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3"-3 of Figure 2.

Figure t is a view similar to Figure 3 of a slightly modified form of construction.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I have illustrated a shoe, the outer sole of which is formed with a depression 2 in its upper surface adjacent to the inner side of the shoe, and in a position immediately beneath the metatarsal joint of the I great toe, commonly known as the ball of the foot. The inner sole '8, which lies immediately above the outer sole may be constructed of resilient material, such as cork, leather or rubber if desired, and formed with perforations immediately over the depression 2 in the outer sole. These perforations are provided to secure ventilation.

The depression 2 may be constructed with its inner wall flaring inwardly if desired and may be filled with some soft resilient substance, such as sponge rubber or wool fleece, which will readily give under the weight of the foot. As shown in Figure 3 the innersole 3 may be cut away over the depression 2 with an opening preferably circular, in which a perforated disc 4 is inserted which may be of different material having different qualities. I

In the modified form of construction illustrated in Figure 4:, I- have shown the inner sole 5 constructed of rigid material and a thin layer or septum 6 of resilient material such as rubber or leather inserted in an opening formed in the sole immediately over the depression in the outer sole. The septum 6 should also be perforated as illustrated. The inner sole of the shoe may be secured to the outer sole as usual or may be separated therefrom, in order that it may be removed or replaced when desired.

A shoe constructed as illustrated and described is comfortable for the wearer, and by permitting the metatarsal joint to sag in the depression formed in the sole, corrects any tendency to the formation of what is known as bunion. This construction also more evenly distributes the weight of the body to the sole of the foot, thereby correctingany tendency to the formation of calli or broken arches.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1s:

1. A 'shoe comprising an outer sole of substantially uniform thickness having a small circular depression cut therein near the inside of the sole immediately beneath the metatarsal joint of the great toe, an inner sole having a group of perforations over' said depression.

2. A shoe comprising an outer sole of substantially uniform thickness having a small circular depression cut therein near the inside of the sole immediately beneath the metatarsal joint of the great toe, an inner sole having an opening surrounding said depression and a layer inserted in said opening over said depression.

3. A shoe comprising an outer sole of sub: stantially uniform thickness having a re cess cut in the top thereof near the inside of the sole, immediately beneath the metatarsal joint of the greattoe and an inner sole having a recess in one side thereof in 10 line with'the recess in the outersole.

tarsal joint of thegreat toe, and an inner sole having a recess on the under side thereof lmmediately above the recess in the outer sole, said recesses permitting the top of the inner sole to depress thereinto.

BENJAMIN G. WEDD. 

